Sorry
by HidingLight
Summary: There comes a point where everyone has to break rule six.


_Disclaimer! This gets mushy and fluffy, and at one part fairly smutty. Tibbs slash, of course :) Meant to be enjoyed, not deeply contemplated. I wrote it well before I had ever considered posting anything I had written, and it took three edits and my AMAZING beta, Kesterpan, in order to make it web worthy. Hopefully you like it, though!_

NCISOOOOONCISOOOOONCISOOOOON CIS

Tony sat at his desk, typing notes and looking from the cold case file to the computer. He was seething, and he tried to bury it away in work. He knew that he had to get it under control before Ziva or McGee started pestering him about what was bothering him. Normally, he could leave his lovers' quarrels at home, but Gibbs was on a rampage today, and though everyone was feeling the brunt of it now, he had started getting it before they had even left the house.

Tony stole a look across the room at Jethro. He tried not to think about how sexy the man looked in his blue polo and grey suit, accenting Tony's two favorite features about him. He just wanted to be angry this time. He tried not to think about how hot the make-up sex would probably be- eventually. He was allowed to be angry and he should be. Jethro looked up and directly into his glare, and Tony had to turn away to hide back in his work.

He couldn't bring himself to look over at Ziva or McGee, afraid they could read his mind with simple eye contact. He knew Gibbs could.

He saw the email alert pop up on his computer. It was from Gibbs, and he glared up at the screen. He had brought Gibbs out of the Dark Ages just for the express purpose of communicating at work about non-work things. No one else had ever received an email from their boss. Despite himself, Tony felt a twinge of tenderness as he clicked the message.

_What the hell is your problem?_

Tony felt his anger flare, but just as he was about to shoot Gibbs, and for the moment, he was definitely "Gibbs", the darkest glare possible, he heard the bossman's cell ring. A little piece inside of him moaned in exasperation. He knew that sound. They were catching a case. He wasn't even going to have a chance to get this out in the open with Gibbs before they were trapped together in a car or tensely combing a crime scene for answers.

Oddly enough, they had found that they both did their best work when they fought. When Tony thought about it, some of his favorite cases were those they solved while they were fueled with the passion of a personal argument. It kept him from holding back his thoughts and suggestions, and made for some intense interrogations. Channeling the powerful energy of two anger driven alpha males brought fire to their work in a very satisfying way.

He moved behind the rest of the group as they crowded into the elevator so that when they turned around, he faced the door and Gibbs stood behind him. He could feel Gibb's glare boring into the back of his head, and he didn't care. The way the man had come down on him that morning, using him as his verbal punching bag was inexcusable. What's worse is that he knew it. He knew it, and he had done it anyway. Tony wasn't the one he was even angry at, but he took the brunt of it.

Usually, he didn't care. He understood. They parried that way. He let Jethro get it out of his system, and then he'd come around later and apologize without apologizing, and ask him why he stuck around with him despite what an asshole he could be. They would have great make up sex, and that would be that.

Today wasn't one of those days. Jethro's anger was unrelenting. Tony couldn't figure out why he was getting the heat for an issue that SecNav had with him. After the call, suddenly everything he did was wrong, stupid, immature, and selfish. Jethro's frustrations with bureaucracy were always one of his triggers, but usually by now, they would have found a moment in the head to share a tender, _I understand/I'm sorry_ look. Of course, Jethro never actually _said_ he was sorry.

Once they got to work, after an uncomfortably silent car ride, the rest of the team, and anyone else Jethro encountered, shared the brunt of the anger with him. He wore his angry face all day. Tony wanted to pull him into a closet, and tell him to take his sorry ass attitude and go to hell until he was ready to treat people, especially him, like they were human again.

Now, here they were, back in the uncomfortable silence of the car together. McGee and Ziva practically ran for the crime scene truck, leaving him to have to be the one to ride with Jethro. He wanted to explode at the older man, but they weren't far enough away from the other truck yet, and he didn't want McGee to pull the truck up next to them during one of their huge fights. Jethro drove like a bat out of hell to put space between them, and Tony knew he was thinking the same thing. This was going to be messy; an hour alone with Gibbs in the car, both of their tempers boiling over.

About five minutes later, Gibbs had sufficiently left the crime lab truck in the dust, and they both looked at each other. It started all at once.

"What the hell do you mean what the hell is wrong with me? Are you serious? Do you really think before you..."

"Yes, Tony! What the hell is wrong with you? You're sitting there shooting me nasty looks all morning! Everyone is going to fucking figure it out! Figure "us" out!"

"For your information, I'm not the only one whose toes you completely crushed under your misdirected anger today! I'm pretty sure that if Ziva and Tim saw my fury, they'd sympathize! Believe it or not, we are not the problem! We are the opposite of your fucking problem, but who gets the snide remarks, the orders, the-the-the..."

"The what, Tony? SPIT IT OUT!"

"THE BULLSHIT!"

"Yeah, because I'm such an asshole!"

"Ohhh no, no, no... you're not playing the victim today _Gibbs..._ not playing it at all."

That caused them to fall silent, which in stark contrast against their yelling, was a slap in the face. He had just called Jethro "Gibbs". He knew it was cold, pulling out the work name, telling Gibbs in a personal argument that he had lost that personal connection for the time being. He didn't care though. When he got like this, Jethro was not Jethro. He was not the man that Tony snuggled with on the couch at night, and woke up to kisses from in the morning. He was the cold, detached man that he had been before they had finally broken down and admitted that they should be together.

Tony stared at Gibbs' face, Tony's own anger burning into its profile. Gibbs' jawline was set, and Tony knew he was clenching his teeth hard, but the man wouldn't return his glare. He felt bad for a split second realizing that he had indeed wounded with that one, but his anger won out easily, and the glare continued for another minute before he stared ahead in tense silence for the rest of the journey.

Going through the crime scene went fairly smoothly despite it all. The case was a pretty cut and dry murder-suicide. The note explained it all once McGee had found it posted on the man's blog, the website still up on the computer's monitor.

After speaking with a neighbor, Tony headed up the steps to the apartment they were working in, while Jethro was coming down. They shared a look of fueled resentment and rage. Their arms brushed each other though, and he could hear Jethro's deep intake of breath as they both kept going. He gulped hard, trying to retain his vexation, and though he succeeded, it was tough. There was intense electricity that always accompanied their anger, and many times the chemistry overrode an actual discussion, speaking for them.

"No." He told himself aloud, and proceeded to give himself a mental pep-talk. _You're right on this one. You're allowed to be mad. He can be as hot and sexy as he wants, but when he's ready to get to that place, he needs to apologize this time! _

He joined Ziva and McGee in the doorway of the room with the second body They both looked up once he came in, and quickly turning away from him, went back to work. They knew that he was just as pissed as Gibbs, and had, at some point, become just as afraid of him.

In the nine months that he and Jethro had been together, their temper tantrums had aligned quite frequently, and had come to head at work in multiple ways. There was fierce debate on how to proceed on cases, and they both had found that it actually made them better investigators. They had both admitted that their anger had helped push them to be more independent thinkers during investigations. It never felt like competition to them, just a push, a drive.

He was sure that that wasn't how the rest of the team saw it. He knew they thought he was undermining their boss and challenging his authority. He and Jethro had talked about it, and in the end, they decided that they were exactly where they should be, wanted to be, and needed to be at work.

Tony always affirmed Gibbs' position with the team, and had repeatedly told them that he didn't want to be anything but the best Second in Command he could be. He knew by their reactions just now, when he looked at them in that room, that they didn't believe that for a second. He understood why they felt that way. He was the only one that argued with Gibbs and got away with it. The dynamic had changed pretty much overnight, seeing as it didn't take them long to have their first argument.

He sighed and admitted to himself that he should rein in his temper a little while they were in the office. He was making his team fear him as much as they did Gibbs, which was not where he liked to be with them. He rubbed his face and moved further into the room.

"How's it going in here?" He tried to sound composed, but he carried the resigned tone of a man who just had a bad argument with someone he cared about.

McGee didn't look at him as he snapped a couple of last pictures. "Ducky should be up any minute with Palmer, and then we can finish up."

Tony nodded and watched Ziva packing the evidence bags into brown boxes, and sealing them with security tape. They had spent two hours gathering every piece of evidence possible if for some reason this were to blow up into something bigger. He went to help her with the boxes, and they started down the stairs again.

Tony heard Jethro's shoes on the steps as the older man was returning to the room. He breathed deeply and held it, not making eye contact as they passed this time, but keeping his head down so Ziva wouldn't see the flaring temper.

Jethro did no such thing, but his sore glare was lost on Tony until they got to the bottom of the stairs and the door closed behind him. That's when Ziva pulled him aside by the sleeve. "What was that about?"

"What?" he said, confused a little, but figuring it out.

"Gibbs? He just looked at you with a death stare. You did not try to ask him what was wrong on the way over did you? You know how that always makes him worse." Tony was frozen and he was sure his eyes went wide for a second.

"Uh... I..."

"Tony! Tell me you didn't! He is going to be a pain in the tuckus all night now." Tony bit his tongue hard, thinking about the double entendre of the statement. He was grateful Ziva turned and left him standing there with a box he could lower to cover the beginnings of an erection with while he took a second to compose himself, thinking of things like his 3rd grade bus driver and plague.

Once he had controlled himself, he moved to put his box in the truck with hers. She was telling Ducky that Tony had tried to talk with Gibbs' about feelings, and that he had better watch out.

Ducky was one of two people that knew about his and Jethro's relationship. Ducky and Abby had found out early on. No one else had put the pieces together yet, and he considered how odd that was when they were such a great team of detectives.

Ducky showed deep concern during his talk with Ziva, and as she and Palmer walked ahead, leaving Tony and the good doctor standing there, Ducky leaned in and whispered, "Trouble in paradise, Anthony?"

"Nothing we can't handle, Duck." He smiled a short and restrained smile at the older man, grateful for his concern.

Thinking about the words that had just left his lips so naturally made him realize that he actually did know they would get over it. They would get over this, and everything else life threw at them. What was it going to take this time? What should he demand? He wasn't going to be disrespected, and he needed to express that to his lover. Jethro always respected Tony for standing up for himself in the aftermath. This argument was different, though. Tony was going to have to think about what he really wanted.

The ride home went much better, mainly because no one rode with Gibbs. Tony and McGee got into the CSI truck, and Ziva decided to ride with Ducky and Palmer. Tony was getting into the truck next to McGee as Gibbs opened the door to the sedan, and they both paused, staring at each other for a moment before getting into their separate rides. From across the lot, Tony could see the look on Jethro's face was still furious, but it was not lost on Tony that it was also hurt.

McGee turned the key over in the ignition and started down the road. "Ziva told me what you did. Tony, how many times have we had this talk? We have all begged you not to egg him on, but what happens? You just have to go and open your mouth."

Tony had a sudden moment of irrationality. "He's mad at me, not you guys." He realized what had popped out of his mouth before he could take his foot out and sighed. "Look, McGee-, don't take it personally, okay? He's not really mad at any of us. We're just his punching bags. Again."

"Sounds like you should take a little of your own advice there, Tony."

The younger agent gave Tony an understanding look, and he wondered if Tim knew. He looked out the window and pondered that idea. Abby was pretty trustworthy, but she and McGeek were super close in that way that made Tony think their relationship very well could be on the same hidden level as his and Jethro's. Pillow talk is as powerful as truth serum.

He had never really seen Tim as a confidant, but in that moment it hit him just how much his probie had grown in the past year. He had become a better investigator, he didn't hesitate when talking in front of the team, and his interrogation skills were hitting a great peak. They had all grown this past year. So much had changed about their team and every difference had moved them closer to one another. He felt like a lying hypocrite by not telling Tim what was going on with Gibbs' mood, how he knew, and what had really happened in the car.

He gave Tim a glance, only to have it returned with that same knowing concern. Tony realized that he knew. He had to know. He averted his gaze out the front windshield. They had pulled up behind Gibbs at a red light. Jethro's eyes could be seen in the rearview mirror looking back at Tony. It wasn't lost on either of the younger men.

"You know, you could jump out really quick, and ride with him if you want." Tony's head jerked and looked at McGee, who was looking out his own window, and then back at him with a shrug. The acknowledgement was there. He really did know. Tony smiled at him and shook his head.

"Nah. I've learned he has to cool down on his own." Only Tim would have thought of such a way to let him know that he knew, without really letting him know. They didn't actually admit to anything, but they did. Tim just nodded and they rode the rest of the way joking in their typical banter.

Back at the bullpen, Gibbs was slamming his keyboard as he typed up the report from the day. The others took their seats at their own desks to do the same. Tony noticed the email icon showed he had mail. He was surprised to see another email from Jethro there.

_Are you coming home with me tonight?_

Tony felt a pinch in his gut. Was that really insecurity there?

He looked over at Tim for a moment while rubbing his neck, then across at Ziva, trying to avoid looking at Jethro. They were the closest thing to a family he and Gibbs had. He wanted them to know how happy he and Jethro could be. Lately, they got a lot more of the gruff side of things instead. He decided that he needed to talk to Jethro about it. It was starting to eat him up.

He opened a reply window.

_Yeah. We need to talk though, so be ready. _

Jethro's mouse could be heard clicking it open almost right away. Tony stole the quickest glance that he could get away with to watch Jethro's expression as he read his reply. There was tired relief there for a moment, and then it was back to his angry face. Tony was surprised to see he replied back.

_Yeah, we do._

Tony felt a bit of a knot forming in his stomach. If _Jethro_ wanted to talk, then it was going to be a rough night. An ominous feeling came over him as he did his report. He was tensing up by the minute.

When his report was finished, he pretended to keep working until McGee and Ziva had both gotten up to leave. Tim stopped for a moment by his desk, and facing away from his boss, motioned his eyes in Gibbs' direction to give Tony the encouragement he needed. He smiled and told him to have a good night. Tony smiled back, warmed at the new connection they had, and returned the good night.

When Tim walked away, Tony caught Jethro staring at him, and then staring at Tim as he walked out. It took a second to realize that it was jealousy in his glare. Tony registered it, and felt a bit of his anger and tension melt away. He tried not to smile to himself as he finally printed his report. He clipped it into a folder and stood to grab his things. Dropping his report on Jethro's desk, he told him quietly he'd be waiting outside. The older man tried to look angry, but he just looked tired.

"See ya in a few," he said softly back.

NCISOOOOONCISOOOOONCISOOOOON CIS

Tony was sitting in the passenger's seat as Jethro got in. The car ride home was silent. Jethro was suspiciously not angry any longer, but instead looked worn and sad. It was a new expression for him, and Tony was worried. _He_ was still angry though, and tried to make sure it showed in his face.

They pulled into the driveway, and Tony sat staring at Jethro for a moment until the older man got out of his car, and nodded toward the house. Tony got out and headed inside behind him. They both stopped to hang up their coats on the coatrack by the door, and as had become a routine with them, Tony moved towards the couch and plopped down, while Jethro went to the fridge to grab a beer for each of them.

Once they were both on the couch together the tension became overwhelming. Tony was the first one to break. "What the hell were you thinking today? What could possibly be so ridiculously horrible that we all had to suffer your wrath today? What could someone else have done that was so bad that we all, especially ME, had to take your bullshit today? I need to know. Fuck the "I can't tell you" bull, and it had better be damn good."

He was speaking with quiet rage. It's not how they usually argued. Most of the time it was loud enough that they feared the neighbors calling the cops, and Jethro would slam doors as Tony was throwing his duffel bag together like he was going to go home for the night. They hadn't spent a night apart in months unless they were fighting, and even then, the other would cave, and come over in the middle of the night.

He looked directly into Jethro's icy blue eyes as he ranted. They lost all of their fight as he went on. Tony realized that something was really wrong, and though he tried to soften some, his words still came out harsh. "What is it?"

He could see Jethro's Adam's apple move as he swallowed, and in astonishment, Tony recognized that he was trying not to get emotional.

"The call? This morning?" He was speaking softly, swallowing again before moving on. "They were asking me to give a recommendation for you to become Team Lead in Naples." Jethro couldn't look at Tony, his eyes growing interested in his hands.

The room grew heavy with silence for a long moment. Tony was in shock. It was a great honor, but he wasn't interested. He wanted to stay in DC. with his team, his family.

"It wasn't until I got back this afternoon that it hit me, that if you didn't know why I was so mad, then you didn't know yet, and if you didn't know, then you didn't ask for it."

A part of Tony wanted to be angry. He wanted to ask how Jethro could ever think that he would ask to leave. He knew how though. He knew good and well how. Everyone Jethro had ever loved was taken away in one way or another. It was something they had in common. He reached up, shaking his own head, and turned Jethro's face to look at him. His blue eyes were glazed with sadness. "Leroy Jethro Gibbs, I am NOT leaving you."

"How can you not, Tony? This is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I can't let it pass you up." Tony couldn't believe his ears. "How could you choose a grumpy, asshole of an old man like me over your dream promotion?"

"Jethro, my dream is to be happy here with you. Forever. With our perfect, dysfunctional team, in our wonderful lives- together. I'm not accepting the promotion. I can't believe you would think I would, or _could_. You're my best friend, and I love you. I wouldn't trade what we have for anything. Nothing. Nada. Zilch."

Tony became aware of the fact that Jethro was shaking. He reached forward and pulled him in for a tight embrace. His lover held him tightly, like he could slip away any minute. "I'm right here, and always will be," he whispered.

"Good. I need you to stay, Tony. I can't lose you. I wouldn't stand in your way if you wanted to chase this, but I don't know what I'd do if you left."

Tony ran his hand through the back of Jethro's hair, and kissed the side of his temple. They held each other for a long time. When they finally pulled away from each other, Tony knew that now was the time to ask. "We need to talk about something else." Gibbs head snapped to attention, the fear still clinging to him.

"You know that you are my life. You mean everything to me. I see the team as a family. Ziva and McGee, Abby, Ducky, even Palmer... they are my family. Our family. And, I want to share... "us" with them."

Gibbs sat stunned for a moment, and then, taking it in, smiled a little and nodded. "I want that, too. I just don't know if it's safe for them to know."

"I think Tim already does." There was a moment of panic on Jethro's face, and then the dawning realization that that was what the moment his partner and Tim had shared was about on Tim's way out. "Actually I'm pretty sure he does."

"But how? We are so... well- usually so careful." Tony stared at him with the look that said, _Isn't it obvious? _Then both of them said "Abby," at the same time.

They sat there for a minute absorbing the idea. "So, how do you want to do it?" Gibbs asked.

"Wellllll, I think first we need to decide on something else actually."

"Okay?"

Tony didn't realize he was going to ask this. He just saw the window and decided to take it. It was something he had been thinking about, but didn't know how to ask, and now, the moment was there, so he couldn't pass it up.

"Uh... I..." he suddenly felt very shy. He looked down at the afghan that resided on the couch, and picked at a loose piece of yarn before looking back into those amazing blue eyes. They put him at peace. He opened his mouth, and the words flowed perfectly. "I love you, and I don't want to be apart from you more than we have to be. I want us to live together."

He left it open for Jethro to decide how that would work out. He didn't know if the older man could stand having them make his house their home, though it practically already was. With Shannon and Kelly's memories absorbed in these walls, he knew the chance was there that Jethro might not want to.

"Oh my God, Anthony. Is that commitment I'm hearing?" Gibbs smile and teasing caught Tony off guard. He smiled back at the tone of the question. This is how he loved the man. Not why, but how. Joking, smiling, both men sitting there, partially cross-legged on the couch, head propped on hands, elbows leaning on the back of the couch, so close that they were practically in each other's laps, happy and touching each other. It brought joy to the room, filling them both with trust, and love. This was worth every argument they had ever had, and could ever have. They knew they could be volatile together, but neither of them would have it any other way.

"Truth is, I've wanted to ask you to move in for a couple of months now, but didn't want to push you into it and scare you away. I'm kinda attached to you." Jethro's knee reached over to bump Tony's and they both smiled. "It will be nice to have warmth in this place again. You already give it to me here," he reached to grab Tony's free hand and held it to his chest, "you might as well bring it here." He gestured around the room with his head.

Tony's Italian side couldn't help but love when Jethro got tender like that. He felt the mushy romance of it all overwhelming him. He leaned forward and kissed the man in front of him. It wasn't meant to be so long, but as soon as their lips touched, Tony couldn't stop kissing Jethro, who opened his mouth to him. They finally pulled away. "Now see? How could I ever give up doing that?" he asked.

They smiled at the thought of being permanently together. He knew that he was in for it later, but they weren't done talking yet. The conversation was the most talking he had gotten out of Jethro in a while, and he was going to keep it going while he had him started. "So how do you wanna tell the team?"

"I don't know. What do you think we should do?"

"Well, I was thinking once I'm moved in, we can have them over for dinner."

"Why don't we have them over for dinner this weekend, and then start moving you in. Otherwise, when they walk in and see your stuff, they'll know before we tell them. They are investigators, after all. I think they'll notice." They both laughed.

"Sounds good. I'll make fetticuni and steaks, we'll crack open some wine and cold beers, sit around, have a good evening, and yanno, just tell the most important people in our lives that we've been having a relationship for the past year without them knowing. Well, at least not all of them. Officially."

"Way to make a guy nervous, DiNozzo!" Gibbs' hands ran down his face and fell into his lap.

Tony laughed. He knew his last name was used in a joking manner, unlike how he had used Jethro's earlier. The thought made him wince. "Hey, you know that if I had known what you were thinking in the car earlier, I wouldn't have been such a dick, right?"

"Tony, you had every right to be. I should have trusted you enough to just ask at least, or not even thought something so stupid in the first place."

"You know, the others took a good slamming today too. You need to remember that we aren't the enemies sometimes. We are the good things in your life. I don't expect it to be that way all of the time of course, that wouldn't be Leroy Jethro Gibbs, but if something this big comes to a head, I hope one day you'll know that we are who you turn _to_, not _against_." Jethro looked up from that same loose piece of yarn into Tony's eyes, feeling properly chastised.

"I'll work on that, hon." It was rare that Jethro ever used anything close to a pet name with him outside of the bedroom. "Hon" was reserved for very special occasions, and Tony smiled his biggest smile at the man he loved, well aware that something just gotten through to Jethro in a way that he had been trying for years to convey.

They ordered Chinese food and discussed the move. After eating, Jethro sat down with a book until Tony turned a western on, and lay down on the couch, his head in Jethro's lap. Jethro put the book down to watch the movie with him. There would be no bourbon and boat sanding tonight, and he didn't mind at all.

They had had a tense day, and it was time to relieve that tension. Jethro pretended to watch the movie at first, waiting until Tony seemed engrossed and distracted. Then he began gently caressing Tony's chest, starting off in the tender loving way that he knew Tony found comforting. A few minutes later, he let his caresses go a little further down to the younger man's stomach, the soft shirt slowly inching up to reveal the skin below.

Jethro smiled down at his lover as he let his fingertips gently skim the bare skin right above his sweats. Tony shivered violently and groaned. His green eyes looked up into Jethro's mischievous blue orbs, and knew that things were about to get a lot hotter.

Tony got up, and reached to take Jethro's hand. Instead of following Tony, he pulled the younger man back onto his lap, turning him so that when he fell, they were face to face. Tony shifted so that he was straddling Jethro's legs, and he could feel the hardening cock underneath him, causing him to involuntarily rock forward.

Both men groaned as Jethro slid his hand down Tony's back, cupping his ass, and pulling him forward to recreate the sensation. Tony whimpered as Jethro's eyes rolled up into his head. He loved Tony's ass. It felt so firm in his hands. He couldn't wait to be buried in it.

Tony rocked forward intentionally, moving slowly to draw out the pleasure. His mouth moved to descend upon Jethro's and they kissed with such fierce passion that Tony wasn't quite sure how they weren't consuming one another. The rocking and kissing was sending quivers through them both, aching with a need to be closer.

Tony backed away, standing up and slipping out of his clothes. While Jethro disrobed himself, Tony reached into the drawer of the coffee table and retrieved the lube they kept there. The couch had seen its fair share of action in the past year, and they had learned all of the places to stash lube around the house.

With both of them naked again, Tony knelt above Jethro, a knee on both side of him. Jethro's mouth immediately began sucking on Tony's nipples. Tony groaned as he involuntarily thrust forward, his cock pressing against Jethro's stomach, the head grazing the soft chest hair at the older man's ribs.

"Fuck!" Tony exclaimed, his arms on either side of Jethro, hands on the back of the couch, propping him up.

Jethro clicked open the lube, unable to wait any longer. His slick fingers began searching for Tony's tight hole until he slipped one in. He didn't wait to add the second, and heard Tony hiss as he began to tremble.

Tony had once told him that that moment, the one where he first felt pain melt into pleasure, was when he knew undoubtedly that they belonged together. Neither had ever been with a man before each other, and Tony had let his fear of the pain keep him from taking it to that level for a long time. When he finally let Jethro make love to him, he started to panic, which made things harder. Jethro comforted him, gentled him, and offered to back out. Tony shook his head "no" and began rocking back against the man. When after only a few moments, the pain disappeared and turned into the most intense pleasure he had ever felt, he knew that they had been meant to be joined like that.

The memory brought out the inner beast in Jethro. He removed his fingers from Tony's ass, and then lubed up his cock. He didn't hesitate this time, didn't wait, but jerked Tony's body down onto him, filling him immediately. Tony howled in a mixture of pleasure and pain, feeling himself stretched, filled and wanted. He bounced a little, and the pleasure doubled as Jethro's cock hit his prostate. "Oh my God," he gasped, and then began rolling his hips in time to Jethro's short thrusts from underneath him.

As the pleasure built, the rolling became a bounce again, and he began to earnestly ride his lover. "That's right, fuck yourself on my cock." Jethro's hands grabbed Tony's hips and slammed him down into his lap. Tony yelped. "Harder, damn it! Fuck yourself harder! I want to feel it!"

Tony lifted himself up and let himself drop completely, slamming himself again and again down into Jethro's lap, shifting each time to alternate hitting his sweet spot and not, refusing to come yet. His hands were grasping Jethro's shoulders so tightly that he knew he'd find bruises there tomorrow that matched his fingers. Tony sped up and felt Jethro's hands clutch at his back, his short nails digging in just enough to scratch him. He took in a sharp breath as the pain went straight to his cock and spurred him to go even faster.

Jethro moaned below him. "So incredible… so… ohh shit! Tony!"

Tony slammed down as hard as he could, hitting his prostate. He felt Jethro's release fill him as his own world exploded behind his eyes.

Neither man was quite sure how long they had been lying there when they came around. Tony's arms were around Jethro's shoulders, his head lying across one, face nuzzled into Jethro's hair. His legs ached from his earlier exertion and the way he had been positioned during their post-orgasm nap.

"Mmmm." Tony purred. "Have I told you yet today how much I love you?"

"Yeah, I think you did. If not, you certainly showed it." Jethro's hand reached up and caressed the side of Tony's face before giving him a light kiss.

Tony made his way to his feet, finally letting Jethro slide out of him, and stretched. "I need a shower. Care to join me?"

"Are we just showering?" Jethro asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Depends. Are you going to behave for me?" Tony asked with a smirk.

"Nope."

"Then we're not just showering."

NCISOOOOONCISOOOOONCISOOOOON CIS

The next day was Thursday, and they had decided that since they weren't on rotation for the weekend, they would ask the team over for dinner Saturday night, praying that the key players would be free. It was Tony's job to find out what they were all doing, and see if the plan would work with such little notice.

He and Gibbs got to work early so Tony could make the rounds. Again, he wondered how the team hadn't figured out that they had been getting there at the same time almost every day for three months now.

Entering Abby's lab, he saw her just putting her own stuff down in the back office. He whistled a little as he approached as not to startle her, and his smile told her that something was wonderfully different from the day before. He tried to turn serious on her, but his eyes danced in his happiness. "So... Tim." Abby's face paled beyond her makeup, and her mouth fell open a little.

"Uhh... what about Timmy?" She was chewing on her lip.

"How long have you two been sleeping together again?" She blanched even further. "It's okay Abby. I mean, you know about, well, you know, and I think he does too. So, I wanted to know if you maybe felt compelled to tell him because you guys..."

"Damn it, Tony!" she brushed passed him and he followed her into her lab as she closed the door. "You can't- and I mean CANNOT- tell him that you know. He's convinced that you'll tease him mercilessly, and I told him that you wouldn't, and he asked me how I knew, and I kinda told him that you have the same, you know, sort of situation going on. I mean, he secretly assumed it was Ziva for a while, but then came and asked me about it when he Ziva got engaged to Ray. But I didn't tell him! He told me last night that he finally had figured it out."

Tony threw up his hands. "Whoa there, Abs! It's okay. And I'll behave." She looked puzzled. "I need your help to get everyone to come over to Gibbs' tomorrow night. We want to tell them. We know it can't go beyond our team, but you guys mean everything to us, and we want you to know openly that we're happy together."

Abby jumped up and down, and then threw her arms around Tony in a hug that would shame bears. "Oh my gosh! Tony, that's great! I'll make sure it happens!"

"Yanno, Abs, we'd all be just as happy for you and McGeek if you wanted to make your announcement, too. I mean, if we're all keeping relationships a secret, you two might as well take advantage of the situation as well."

She chewed her lip a little and nodded. "I'll ask him about it, and we'll be there Saturday. What time?"

"Six. We're doing alfredo."

"The DiNozzo family recipe? Oh yeah, we'll all be there."

Abby grabbed Tony up in another hug. "I'm really happy for you guys," she told him as she pulled away.

"I'm happy for you guys, too. You're always a ball of sunshine, but you seem happiest with Tim."

Abby punched his arm. "Thanks, Tony."

NCISOOOOONCISOOOOONCISOOOOON CIS

Tony headed back upstairs to the bullpen trying not to break out into a goofy smile as he passed Jethro's desk, but he couldn't help himself. Last night's make-up sex had been amazing. He was pretty sure he saw Jethro blush a little as they made eye contact. Ziva came around the corner at that moment on her cell. Tony took his seat and tried to eavesdrop, but she was speaking in Hebrew.

As Ziva hung up her phone and took her seat at her desk, Tony took the chance to see if that call meant she was free for the dinner. "Big plans for the weekend, Probette?"

"Actually, they just cancelled. A friend of mine was supposed to be in town, but her trip has been postponed." Ziva looked a little let down, but not quite crushed, so Tony proceeded with his invite.

"Does that mean you're free Saturday night?"

"Perhaps. What were you thinking?" Her tone was suspicious, and she squinted at him to read him for signs of mischief.

Tony plastered on his most impish smile. "I was thinking we all raid Bossman's house and have a team dinner with a little drunken debauchery."

He looked over at Gibbs who never looked up from his paperwork. "You cooking, DiNozzo?"

"Sure, Boss."

"Let's do it."

Ziva looked at the two men curiously. "Alright. I guess I am in." She shrugged and smiled at them, then started typing on her computer. A minute later Tony got an email from her.

_That is a big change from yesterday. What is going on with him? What do you know?_

Tony tried his hardest not to smile like a Cheshire cat.

_I talked to him last night. He's okay. Thought he had gotten bad news, that's all. Found out later it was a false alarm. He kinda feels bad, so I guess this is his way of saying sorry._

He opened a new message to Jethro next.

_Ziva's in. Abby and Tim are in, and Tim knows, but doesn't know everything. Did you talk to Ducky yet about him and Palmer?_

He looked up to see Ziva had already read her email, and was giving him a slight nod. They both started working on their cold case stack. He got an email back from Jethro.

_Yeah. They're in._

Tony smiled and tried not to make eye contact with his boss/lover/best friend. McGee finally joined them. "Where have you been McTardy?" he asked in a friendly tease.

McGee smiled back with his knowing smile. "I was dropping off something with Abby. She wanted to show me something for Balboa's case. Needed my advice."

Tony smiled back his own knowing smile. There was a new dynamic to their relationship, and he was sure it was only going to be a good thing. There was a mutual respect there that came with a shared experience that not many people had.

"So, Saturday night, team dinner at Gibbs'? Ziva's in."

Tim laughed. "I dunno. You in boss?"

"Yeah McGee, it's my house." He smiled a small smile with the two men for a very brief second.

"My point exactly. Never know with Tony!" They all chuckled, including Tony.

The rest of the work week went well. Friday night came, and the two men lay in bed after working off some of their nervous tension.

"Are you still thinking this is a good idea?" Tony asked. "Are you really okay with it?"

The older man smiled. "I'm actually excited about it, if you can believe that. Nervous, but excited."

"I can't tell you how happy I am that we're finally doing this. I would get over the loud speaker at work and tell everyone if I could. I think it would explain a lot to a lot of people, but of course I wouldn't. I just want everyone to know that you're mine. (Kiss) And that I'm yours. (Kiss.) And that we're happy." (Kiss.)

"Tony?(Kiss.)"

"Yeah?(Kiss.)"

"You're talking too much. (Kiss.)"

NCISOOOOONCISOOOOONCISOOOOON CIS

Saturday afternoon came. Tony brought a lot of his stuff over that morning from his apartment for the kitchen. An Italian's kitchen was his kingdom. Jethro was smart enough not to put up a fight about anything in there. He had seen Tony's kitchen, and knew that in a matter of weeks, his kitchen would be transformed from that of a humble beer and take out bachelor's, to a culinary artist's. He had resigned himself to that fact long before Tony had even asked if he could move in.

There were other Tony touches starting to creep up around the house, too. More linens in the bedroom, more towels, shampoos and hair products in the bathroom. He had brought a whole dresser worth of clothes over, and two laundry baskets of towels and sheets after work Friday. Jethro even cleared out some of his closet for Tony. It was beginning to feel like a home already.

Tony's cooking was making the house smell wonderful as he made a marinade for the steaks. They would still get broiled over the fire in the fireplace that Jethro was busy starting, but they were going to be soaked and tenderized first. He took the last steak and dropped it into the marinade, then moved to wash his hands.

He breathed deeply as he felt warm, strong hands on his waist moving to wrap him in a loving embrace. It was one of his favorite "couple things" that Jethro did. It was always wonderful when one came up behind the other like that; Jethro to Tony in the kitchen and Tony to Jethro while sanding in the basement. It was so tender and protective.

"They'll be here soon. You ready?" Jethro asked softly in Tony's ear as his chin rested on his shoulder.

"Yeah, I think I am." He turned around so he was facing his lover, who never took his hands off of him as he moved, and kissed him softly and deeply. Pulling back, Tony looked into those blue eyes and realized that he was ready for anything as long as he had Jethro. "I love you, Jethro."

Jethro's smile was large and sweet. "I love you, too, Tony." They kissed again and then let go of each other to get things together.

Two hours later, they had the steaks on the fire, water boiling for the pasta and Tony's sauce was simmering on the stove. Tony had a glass of wine poured, and Jethro was drinking a beer as they stood close in the kitchen talking, smiling and laughing about how the last time everyone was together in the house went. Jethro had actually cleared things out to make the dining room a dining room again. Tony had set it, and there were candles on the table.

"This house really is warming up isn't it?" Tony asked as he looked into the other room. Jethro smiled and sat his beer down, then moved to take Tony in his arms.

"Our house, Tony. Our home. It wouldn't be warm without you in it." Tony stood there in dumbfounded silence as his breath caught in his chest. He felt his eyes sting for a moment, and it shook him out of his shock. He had yet to hear it called that. He had been encouraged to start bringing stuff over, but it was never put that blatantly. He felt something inside fall into place. He had a home. A real one. With someone he loved. They had a home- together.

"You okay, Tony?" Jethro asked tenderly.

Tony just nodded with one of his amazing smiles and leaned in to kiss his man. "Of course I am. I'm home."

They leaned in to kiss again, and the front door opened. It was Abby and McGee. Tony moved to separate, but Jethro didn't. He stood there with his arms around Tony's waist and looked over his shoulder at their guests with a smirk. Tony realized that this was really happening. They were really going to let their team in on their joy.

Abby put her jacket on the coatrack, and Tim's joined it. It was almost Halloween, and the afternoons were getting cooler.

"Hey guys." Tony said, and Jethro moved to Tony's side, but didn't remove his arm from around his lover's waist. Abby bounced into the room and threw her arms around Tony, then kissed Jethro on the cheek. McGee was right behind her with a hug for Tony and a handshake for Gibbs.

"Look at you two!" Abby exclaimed. "I love seeing you guys so happy!"

"That goes for me, too. I'm glad we're doing this." McGee joined. He looked ecstatic, but nervous.

"Wait, we? You mean you guys are going to finally spill too!?" Tony asked.

Abby and McGee reached for each other's hands, and pulled each other close. "Yeah, we are." McGee said with the biggest smile Tony had ever seen. He reached out, and wrapped his work-brother in an excited hug.

Gibbs did the same to Abby. "That's great news! I know you two will take good care of each other."

"Thanks guys. We don't want to tell everyone yet, just our little family. We've seen how sticky work relationships are once they get out, and we don't want that to happen to us," Abby explained.

"I know our team though, and when it's important, they can keep their mouths shut." McGee added with a smile. The rest of the group laughed, and the door opened again.

"Why don't you guys get some drinks. I'm going to finish cooking and then I'll be in." Everyone grabbed a glass of wine except Gibbs who picked up his beer and went to greet Ducky in the living room. As Tony listened to the laughter in the other room, he smiled contently to himself. The pasta was in the pan, and the sauce was now in a bowl. The bread was out of the oven, cooling. It was going to be a perfect meal for a perfect evening with a perfectly imperfect family.

He listened as Ziva arrived, and then Palmer. They came in to say hi to the chef, and get a glass of wine, before being shoo'ed into the dining room with a plate of bread each. Soon, they were all sitting around the table. Jethro and Tony sat next to each other on one corner, with McGee next to Tony and Abby at the other head of the table. Ziva, Ducky and Palmer shared the other side. It felt like the family dinner that no one at the table had the chance to have anymore, but always wanted. There was laughter and warmth and joy and jokes. It was comfortable, and the pleasantness wasn't forced.

Jethro cleared his throat. He and Tony had discussed how to tell them, and decided it was just going to have to be whatever felt right. Tony felt warmth swell inside of him as he realized that Jethro wasn't going to be able to wait. He was surprised and amazed that the man wanted to be the one to tell their story. He figured that _he_ would have to be the one to spin their tale.

Everyone got quiet as Gibbs looked around the table at everyone there. No one wore a frown. He knew that no one would wear one all night. They were indeed a family.

"The other day, I woke up and got a call. It shouldn't have surprised me, but it did. It not only surprised me, but pretty much scared the shit out of me. I was angry, and hurt, and took my anger out on the people I love the most, you guys. I look back now, and I can't believe that I did that. I should have known that you are the people that hold me together when the rest of the world tries to tear at me, and I'm sorry." The room went silent as everyone absorbed what just happened. It was Abby that announced the obvious.

"Gibbs! You just broke rule six!"

"I've had a lot of time to think about rule six. Being smart enough to apologize to the people you love the most when you do something really stupid... well that might be the opposite of weakness. You see, the call I got was about Tony. They wanted me to recommend him for a transfer as Team Leader in Naples. And well... seeing as we've been dating for nine months now, and I love him, I was scared I was going to lose him."

There were joyous sounds around the table. Tony reached over and took Jethro's hand in his. He had never been so proud to know this man as he did right now. He fell a little more in love with him in that moment. Jethro looked back into Tony's eyes, witnessing the wonder he was feeling. He gave him a warm smile and Tony squeezed his hand.

Congratulations were being shouted by all. Palmer looked shocked, but happy. Ziva reached across the table and grabbed Tony's free hand. "I am happy for you two!"

"It's about time the two of you let your entire family in on your happy secret! I've had a hard time keeping it to myself!" Ducky shared.

Abby looked across the table. Tony gave her the nod. "McGee and I have something we need to tell you guys, too."

Ducky looked over at her and McGee in surprise. "You mean you two have finally begun dating as well?"

McGee took Abby's hand in his and staring into her eyes. "Well, it's more than that. I'm in love with her." Abby stared back and tilted her head, then leaned forward to kiss him over the corner of the table. "I'm in love with you, too, Timmy." Happy sighs could be heard from around them.

"So how long have you two been dating?" Ziva asked, sipping her wine as Abby sat back in her own seat, moving it closer to McGee, and picking up her glass. "About six months now."

"Six months, Abs, and you didn't tell me?" Tony asked. "Well see, now I'm hurt. You knew about Jethro and me almost eight months ago!" he teased.

"Well, that's because you guys can't keep your lovers' quarrels at home!" she joked. Tony saw Jethro's ears turn pink.

"It's true." He reached up and kissed Jethro's cheek. "Hey, let's eat."

They all started passing the bowls of pasta and sauce around the table, and dug in. After they were all fully stuffed, and were refilling their wine glasses, Tony decided to raise his.

"I'd like to propose a toast." Everyone raised their glasses and smiled warm happy smiles. "To my family. May we always remember that though we may not be perfect, we are the best damn thing in each others' lives. And may we always be."

Glasses clinked around the table to a chorus of "Here! Here!"

The conversation grew more serious, but not negative. There were things that had to be said about their secrets. "We are so happy to finally tell you guys. We have wanted to for so long, but just didn't know if we should. We know we can't let everyone know, but since I'm moving in with Jethro, we figured it would probably be a good idea."

"You're moving in, Tony?" Tim asked in surprise.

"Yes, he is," Gibbs confirmed, flashing Tony a smile.

"Mr. Scared of Commitment, is moving in with Mr. Terrified of Commitment? Wow. I'm seriously impressed. Two miracles in one night!" Abby quipped.

Tony and Gibbs both rolled their eyes.

"Now Abby, you know that it takes one to know one!" Ziva said causing Abby to throw her napkin across the table, both women laughing. Ziva turned back to Tony and Gibbs. "It makes a lot of sense, and you both look very happy. So, what changed?"

"What changed? You mean, our version of the "How did you two meet?" story?" Tony asked.

"Yeah! Tell us!" Palmer called from the other end of the table.

Gibbs looked over at the man who had begun leaning on him after dinner. "We did."

"Yeah. I think that's it in a nutshell. It wasn't something either of didn't _know_ we felt, it's just that we never felt comfortable expressing it. It built over time. Then Valentine's night I went out, but realized that I really didn't want to be in some bar hitting on yet another lonely girl to fill _my_ loneliness. I was done with trying to just… temporarily fill the gap. It hit me pretty hard, and I decided I needed to think. So, I did what I always did when I need to clear my head. I sat in Jethro's basement for an hour, watching him build his boat, thinking about how if I wanted something different, I was going to have to do something different. I couldn't take it anymore. I stood up, and went across the room..."

"And he slipped his hands around my waist, laid his head on my back and... well, I froze like a snowman." They all laughed.

"Then he melted like one." They laughed harder.

"I hadn't had a real Valentine's Day in years. This year's though… it was something special." Tony could feel himself getting warm in the cheeks.

"Well, I have to tell you, a lot of pieces of the puzzle are falling together" Tim said. "You've both been so different this past year. I don't know if you've seen it," he said, looking around the table addressing their co-workers. "But this whole team is changing. We work better together than ever. We're all happier. We've all grown individually and I believe, we are all simply better people. I think we've all gained more wisdom this year than we have in all of our other years together combined. I don't want to jinx it, but I'm pretty sure this is only going to get better."

Tony watched McGee, and they shared a smile. "When did you guys start dating?"

"About six months ago, working on the Jefferson case."

"Your cold case? With that missing Staff Sargent that was smuggling kids in for the sex trade?"

"Yeah. We went out after another night of no answers to clear our heads, and one thing just kinda led to another."

"We talked for hours. First about the case and then about McGee's sister. Then our families, and then having a family, and then about..." Abby was interrupted by Gibbs.

"Wait, you guys are already talking about having a family?"

"Well, we hadn't really been in that frame of mind when we talked, but we do both want little Abbys and little Timmys running around. So, maybe." Abby added. She and Tim were holding hands again, giving one another blissful smiles.

It wasn't lost on Tony that Jethro jumped on the kids question. He had realized that Jethro had been thinking about Kelly and Shannon a lot lately. He knew that he would never replace them, but he hoped what they had was just as special to Jethro. As if reading his mind, Jethro turned to look at the man whose head was resting on his shoulder. They smiled in dreamy intoxication at each other, drunk on life, and kissed.

"That is something I am going to have to get used to." Ziva admitted. "Seeing you two so affectionate. I am used to head slapping and smart ass comments."

"Oh, those aren't going anywhere." Gibbs said.

"Yeah, I still get my head slapped at home, so yanno..." Tony joked.

"Home. I like the sound of that for you two." Abby said.

Tony smiled at her. She read his mind. It was the first time he'd said it without thinking, and once he did, he realized how wonderful it sounded. He saw Jethro wink at her.

"I've never, in my life, seen you as happy as you are right now, Jethro," Ducky said, the sage-like voice subduing the group and directing everyone's attention to the couple.

Tony smiled and looked back into his lover's face. To hear that from Ducky was serious. Ducky and Jethro had known each other for more than twice as long as Jethro and Tony knew each other.

"I don't remember the last time I've been this happy Duck." Tony snuggled up against Jethro even harder at hearing that. He knew he wasn't going to move until it was time for people to go home. He had never even dreamed he could be this happy.

"So, Tony? Naples?" Ziva asked.

"Hell no! Are you crazy?!" Everyone laughed loud and hard. "I'm not leaving Jethro! And I'm not leaving you guys. I finally understand what I want out of my life."

"Which is?" McGee asked.

"This." They all smiled and pulled each other close around the table. Jethro and Tony held each other. Abby and McGee squeezed each other. Ducky put his arm around Ziva, and she squeezed Palmer's shoulder. They were a family of incredible, mixed-up misfits, and they belonged together.


End file.
